Crabtree expected to be out 4-6 weeks

49ers

-- It appears Michael Crabtree and training camp won't be seeing much of each other for the third straight season.

According to the Sacramento Bee, the foot injury the 49ers' third-year wide receiver sustained during the team's players-only offensive minicamp in early June will force him to miss four to six weeks of training camp, which opened Thursday. The team has placed Crabtree on the physically unable to perform list. He can be activated at any time prior to Sept. 3, when rosters must be reduced to 53 players.

Crabtree, who has never played in a preseason game due to a contract holdout in 2009 and a neck injury last year, had surgery to correct a stress fracture in his left foot prior to the draft in 2009. His current injury is to the same foot.

Crabtree's injury explains why the 49ers were among the teams granted permission to work out a potential trade with Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco, according to the Boston Herald. However, the Patriots acquired Ochocinco on Thursday.

Last year, Crabtree's absence from training camp appeared to correspond to his failure to establish an early season rapport with quarterback Alex Smith. After three games, Smith had a quarterback rating of 6.6 when targeting Crabtree. Smith's rating rose to 94.5 when he targeted Crabtree during the rest of the season.

Michael Crabtree catches the go-ahead touchdown at the end of the third quarter, a pass from Alex Smith on Sunday at Candlestick Park.

Michael Crabtree catches the go-ahead touchdown at the end of the third quarter, a pass from Alex Smith on Sunday at Candlestick Park.

Photo: Brant Ward, The Chronicle

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - FILE: Place kicker David Akers #2 of the Philadelphia Eagles kicks the ball off against the Houston Texans at Lincoln Financial Field on December 2, 2010 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. According to reports on July 28, 2011, Akers has have reached an agreement with the San Francisco 49ers. less

PHILADELPHIA, PA - FILE: Place kicker David Akers #2 of the Philadelphia Eagles kicks the ball off against the Houston Texans at Lincoln Financial Field on December 2, 2010 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ... more

Photo: Jim McIsaac, Getty Images

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Zach Miller of the Raiders hauls in a long pass for a large gain in the fourth quarter against the 49ers on Sunday at Candlestick Park.

Zach Miller of the Raiders hauls in a long pass for a large gain in the fourth quarter against the 49ers on Sunday at Candlestick Park.

Photo: Brant Ward, The Chronicle

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Crabtree expected to be out 4-6 weeks

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With Crabtree sidelined, Josh Morgan will move into the No. 1 wide receiver spot with Ted Ginn, who had 12 catches last year, possibly moving into a starting role.

New kicker: According to ESPN, the Niners agreed to terms with Eagles kicker David Akers, 36, swapping one reliable, left-footed placekicker for another. San Francisco will release Joe Nedney, 38, who made 28 of 34 field goals the past two seasons, but finished both years on injured reserve. CSN Bay Area reported Nedney's pending release.

Nedney missed nine games over the past two seasons. He missed the final two games of the 2009 season with a hamstring injury and sat out the final seven games last year with a bone bruise and strained right knee.

Nedney made 129 of 149 field goals (86.6 percent) after signing with San Francisco in 2005 and connected on at least one field goal of at least 50 yards each season. He ranks as the most accurate kicker in franchise history.

Akers has made 155 of 192 field goals (80.7 percent) since 2005. A five-time All-Pro, Akers was named to the NFL's 2000s All-Decade team.

Pursuing Kreutz: According to multiple reports, the 49ers are pursuing Bears free-agent center Olin Kreutz, 34, a six-time Pro Bowler who has spent his entire 13-year career in Chicago. ESPN reported that San Francisco sent Kreutz a contract proposal Wednesday night.

The Niners have a hole in the middle of their offensive line after center David Baas agreed to terms with the New York Giants this week.

In anticipation of Baas' potential departure, lineman Adam Snyder spent time snapping during workouts at San Jose State this summer. Snyder has started a combined 56 games at every position on the offensive line, with the exception of center, a position he's never played.

Snyder said the coaching staff hasn't approached him about a possible move, but he senses it's a possibility.

"I have a feeling that might happen," Snyder said. "I've been a versatile player for seven years now. I'm just kind of ready to take on whatever position they want me to do. I spent this offseason in preparation for that. If that's what they want me to do, that's what I'll do."

Out of Balboa High: The Niners signed undrafted rookie free-agent quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson, who played at Balboa High in San Francisco.

Bethel-Thompson will provide training-camp relief for rookie Colin Kaepernick, who is the only quarterback on the roster for now. Quarterback Alex Smith, who will sign his one-year, $5 million contract today, can't practice until the new league year begins, no later than Thursday. David Carr was released Thursday.

Bethel-Thompson began his college career at UCLA before transferring to Sacramento State, where he threw just 38 passes due to injury last season.

Briefly: Running back Frank Gore did not report to the first day of training camp Thursday. Gore is expected to hold out for a new contract. ... ... The Niners will hold their first training-camp practice this afternoon. They had meetings, physicals and a conditioning test Thursday. ... All 10 draft picks signed prior to the start of camp.